Blaauwklippen
Stellenbosch • Established 1682
Blaauwklippen
Wines & craft spirits from one of the Cape's oldest estates
From the foot of the Stellenbosch Mountains to Coal Drops Yard — hand-crafted reds, whites, rosé, Méthode Cap Classique and small-batch gin, and Blaauwklippen's home in London.
1682
Founded
340+
Years of winemaking
1971
Stellenbosch Wine Route founder
1977
Pioneered SA Zinfandel
Why we pour Blaauwklippen
A Nel family homecoming, three centuries on
Our co-founder Ben's surname is Nel — and his family's story is written into this estate. In 1688 his ancestor, Guillaume (later Willem) Nel, sailed from France to the Cape aboard De Schelde. In 1690 he bought Blaauwklippen, and the Nel family farmed and shaped it through the estate's earliest years.
More than three hundred years later, Ben has brought his family's wines home to London. That heritage is the reason Blaauwklippen is the only wine we pour — every bottle here carries a piece of the Nel family story.
Ben Nel · Co-founder, Botanical Boys
The Estate
Three centuries beneath the mountains
Blaauwklippen was founded in 1682, one of the very first farms granted in the Cape Winelands and today one of South Africa's oldest working wine estates. Its name — De Blaauwe Klippen, "the blue stones" — comes from the granite outcrops scattered across the land: weathered grey on the surface, but a deep, striking blue where they break open.
The first vines went into the ground in 1688. The gabled Cape Dutch Manor House that still crowns the estate carries the date 1789 on its front gable, and the great oaks that shade the werf were planted around 1770 — living witnesses to more than three hundred harvests.
"Grey as stone on the outside, brilliant blue within — the farm was named for what lies beneath the surface."
The Terroir
A farm shaped by granite, mountain and sun
The estate sits in a natural amphitheatre at the foot of the Stellenbosch Mountains, where cool air spills down the slopes at night and granite-rich soils force the vines to work for every drop. It is a terroir built for structure and elegance — and the reason Blaauwklippen has quietly collected acclaim for generations.
In 1977 estate winemaker Walter Finlayson planted the first Zinfandel in South Africa here, and in 1984 the farm founded the country's longest-running wine blending competition. Tradition and quiet innovation, side by side.
Foot of the Stellenbosch MountainsDecomposed granite soilsCool mountain nightsEstate-grown & hand-crafted
The Craft
From the cellar to your glass
Every bottle in this range is grown, made and bottled on the estate — from age-worthy Cabernet and the five-varietal De Blaauwe Klip flagship blend, to bright coastal-fresh whites, a delicate blush rosé and a classic Méthode Cap Classique.
The estate's love of botany reaches beyond the vine, too: its small-batch Garden and Farm gins are distilled with fynbos and orchard botanicals gathered on the property — a natural companion to everything we do at Botanical Boys.
We pour these wines and gins by the glass and the bottle at our South African wine & gin bar in Coal Drops Yard — and now you can take the estate home.
Shop the Estate
The Blaauwklippen collection
Explore the full range by style. Select any bottle for tasting notes, food pairings and delivery.
Red Wines
Flagship
De Blaauwe Klip
The estate's flagship — a five-varietal Bordeaux-style blend of dark cassis, cigar box and plush velvet tannins.
£32.50Discover →
Cabernet Sauvignon
Intense mulberry and blueberry meet dark chocolate and a hint of Christmas spice over a textured palate.
£26.00Discover →
Malbec
Mulberry, cassis, blueberry and plum, framed by dark chocolate, mineral and tobacco with plush chalky tannins.
£25.80Discover →
Shiraz
Redcurrant, cranberry, spiced plum and black pepper lead to a creamy, aromatic and lingering finish.
£21.50Discover →
Merlot
Mulberry, chocolate and cassis with hints of spiced nuts, chalky tannins and a smooth, lingering finish.
£19.00Discover →
White Wines
Chardonnay
Rich citrus, orange blossom and yellow peach with a crème brûlée depth and fresh, balancing acidity.
£21.75Discover →
Sauvignon Blanc
Zesty lemon and elderflower over mineral, green guava and dusty herbal notes — a wine made for summer.
£18.50Discover →
Chenin Blanc
Yellow peach and quince lifted by pineapple, straw and lemon zest, with a creamy, generous palate.
£17.00Discover →
Rosé & Sparkling
Craft Gin
Brandy & Aperitif
10 Years in oak
10-Year Potstill Brandy
Matured for ten years in French oak barrels — a rare, complex brandy with vanilla, clove and rich dried-fruit depth.
£85.00Discover →
Before & After Aperitif
A blend of wood-matured Noble Late Harvest and estate Potstill Brandy, with Christmas spice at its heart — rich and warming.
£45.00Discover →
Prices shown are take-home bottle prices. Case discounts available on each product page. Also poured by the glass at our Coal Drops Yard bar.
Taste the estate in London
Every wine and gin on this page is poured at our South African wine & gin bar in Coal Drops Yard — by the glass, or by the bottle to take home. In London? A bottle is roughly 30 minutes away on Deliveroo.
